Virtual Legality

null

(0:00) Opening

(1:09) Star Wars Franchise

(1:41) The Electronic Arts License Agreement with Disney

(2:41) Resurrected Lucasfilm Games

(5:59) Indiana Jones

(9:29) Ea and Disney Sign Exclusive Deal for Rights To Star Wars Games

(12:31) Ea's Trouble Decade of Star Wars Games

(15:14) Lucasfilm Approval

(19:06) Qualifications

(21:02) Exclusive Intellectual Property License

(31:01) Future of Star Wars

Google took a major step towards becoming a player in the video game industry today, with the announcement of a new streaming games-on-demand service it is calling Stadia.

Is Stadia truly the future of video gaming as Google claims?

What can we expect out of the Stadia business model and why wasn't it shown?

Are gamers ready to give up even the illusion of ownership of their games for what Stadia has to offer? Or did Microsoft and Xbox One thoroughly salt that earth in their initial roll out?

How is Google using Stadia to fight against other tech titans like Apple and Amazon?

And what kind of appetite does Google truly have to stay in the market...if adoption of Stadia isn't nearly as quick as they expect?

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/7qV04_p1T9M

#Google #Stadia #VirtualLegality

***

Discussed in this episode:

"Stadia, a New Gaming Platform"

(https://store.google.com/magazine/stadia)

"Google’s Stadia game-streaming platform kills downloads and lets you play anywhere"

TechCrunch, March 19, 2019

(https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/19/googles-stadia-game-streaming-platform-kills-huge-downloads/)

***

FOR MORE CHECK US OUT:

On Twitter @hoeglaw

At our website: https://hoeglaw.com/

On our Blog, "Rules of the Game", at https://hoeglaw.wordpress.com/

On "Help Us Out Hoeg!" a regular segment on the Easy Allies Podcast (formerly GameTrailers)

(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZrxXp1reP8E353rZsB3jaA)

Biweekly on "Inside the Huddle with Michael Spath" on WTKA 1050

The Looter Shooter genre is getting crowded, but The Division 2 stands out from the pack. What makes Ubisoft's latest so special? Join us for a discussion of our new favorite game.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/KT9ukFqqI24

#Division2 #Ubisoft #Impressions

***

FOR MORE CHECK US OUT:

On Twitter @hoeglaw

At our website: https://hoeglaw.com/

On our Blog, "Rules of the Game", at https://hoeglaw.wordpress.com/

On "Help Us Out Hoeg!" a regular segment on the Easy Allies Podcast (formerly GameTrailers)

(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZrxXp1reP8E353rZsB3jaA)

Biweekly on "Inside the Huddle with Michael Spath" on WTKA 1050

null

Epic Games has been caught with its hands in the proverbial digital cookie jar, as intrepid Reddit users discover that the Epic Game Store Launcher copies a user's Steam configuration file for Epic's own ends.

What reason did Epic give for using the file?

Is copying a local file "collecting" data in the contractual or legal sense?

What does Epic's privacy policy have to say about what data they can collect and what they can do with it?

And why might both Epic and Steam want to change what they're doing, regardless of what the contracts might say?

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/EsdhDf1axwY

#Epic #Steam #VirtualLegality

***

Discussed in this episode:

"EPIC Promises to Fix Game Launcher after Privacy Concerns"

March 15, 2019

(https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/epic-promises-to-fix-game-launcher-after-privacy-concerns/)

"EPIC GAMES GLOBAL PRIVACY POLICY"

Update - December 19, 2019

(https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/privacypolicy)

***

FOR MORE CHECK US OUT:

On Twitter @hoeglaw

At our website: https://hoeglaw.com/

On our Blog, "Rules of the Game", at https://hoeglaw.wordpress.com/

On "Help Us Out Hoeg!" a regular segment on the Easy Allies Podcast (formerly GameTrailers)

(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZrxXp1reP8E353rZsB3jaA)

Biweekly on "Inside the Huddle with Michael Spath" on WTKA 1050

null

Rumors swirl of "advanced board talks" for the purchase of Take Two Interactive (owners of Rockstar and 2K) by PlayStation console maker, Sony.

While the analysts responsible are quick to restate that such a possibility is only an unsourced rumor, is there fire to match the smoke?

What does it mean to purchase a public company?

What is the role of the board of directors in such a context and what happens during "advanced board talks"?

If the company is "for sale" how does that change the nature of fiduciary duties?

What happens to contracts and licenses (like those for NBA 2K) in the case of a change in control?

And if the makers of some of the biggest games on the planet (Grand Theft Auto; Red Dead Redemption) are at risk of going "in house", would other suitors like Microsoft throw their hat into the ring?

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/xVLHfsOGLk8

#Sony #TakeTwo #VirtualLegality

***

Discussed in this episode:

"U.S. stocks rise as investors keep wary eye on Boeing, Brexit developments"

MarketWatch, March 13, 2019

(https://www.marketwatch.com/story/stock-market-poised-for-tepid-rise-but-dow-remains-under-pressure-amid-boeing-737-8-woes-2019-03-13)

Take Two Market Analysis

MarketWatch, March 13, 2019

(https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/ttwo)

Take Two Form 10-Q (for period ending December 31, 2018)

(https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/946581/000162828019001036/ttwo10q12312018.htm)

***

FOR MORE CHECK US OUT:

On Twitter @hoeglaw

At our website: https://hoeglaw.com/

On our Blog, "Rules of the Game", at https://hoeglaw.wordpress.com/

On "Help Us Out Hoeg!" a regular segment on the Easy Allies Podcast (formerly GameTrailers)

(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZrxXp1reP8E353rZsB3jaA)

Biweekly on "Inside the Huddle with Michael Spath" on WTKA 1050

The world of college athletics, college admissions, and hallmark movies was rocked today, as the FBI revealed details of a months-long sting that uncovered the "desperate" lengths America's rich and famous go to for their children to attend the university of their choosing.

What happened, who's defrauding who, and what can we glean from an in-depth reading of the indictment?

What's RICO and how does it ensnare mobsters and overzealous parents alike?

And what's next for an NCAA continuously rocked by controversy, now that federal documentation (and millions of dollars) puts paid to the lie that "student-athletes" are just average members of the student body?

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/o9KzK9GdD04

#CollegeAdmissions #Scandal #VirtualLegality

***

Discussed in this episode:

"Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin among dozens charged in alleged college cheating scam"

CNN, March 12, 2019

(https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/12/us/college-admission-cheating-scheme/index.html)

Indictment, United States v Ernst et al

(https://www.justice.gov/file/1142881/download)

18 U.S. Code § 1962. Prohibited activities

(https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1962)

Article I, Section 8

US Constitution

(https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei#section8)

18 U.S. Code § 1961. Definitions

(https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1961#1)

"READ: The full indictment charging actors, CEOs and others in a nationwide college admission scheme"

CNN, March 12

(https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/12/us/indictment-college-admissions-scheme/index.html)

***

FOR MORE CHECK US OUT:

On Twitter @hoeglaw

At our website: https://hoeglaw.com/

On our Blog, "Rules of the Game", at https://hoeglaw.wordpress.com/

On "Help Us Out Hoeg!" a regular segment on the Easy Allies Podcast (formerly GameTrailers)

(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZrxXp1reP8E353rZsB3jaA)

Biweekly on "Inside the Huddle with Michael Spath" on WTKA 1050

null

With fewer and fewer companies making bigger and bigger games, and with many of those same companies laying off hundreds or simply folding up, it's clear that it's more than business as usual for the video game industry in 2019.

What does veteran game developer Amy Hennig (Crystal Dynamics, Naughty Dog, Visceral), think is going on...and can it be fixed?

What can the video game industry learn from their colleagues in movies and television?

And how can specialization of labor be the answer to the industry's problems (while also being their cause)?

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/a1HdHcwh580

#Hennig #Outsourcing #VirtualLegality

***

Discussed in this episode:

"Amy Hennig"

Wikipedia Entry

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Hennig)

"Hennig: "Things are clearly not working the way they used to""

GameIndustryBiz, March 7, 2019

(https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-03-07-hennig-things-are-clearly-not-working-the-way-they-used-to)

"The Universe has been Outsourced"

The Outline, February 6, 2018

(https://theoutline.com/post/3087/outsourcing-blockbuster-video-games-made-in-china-horizon-zero-dawn?zd=1&zi=i2nuy7uz)

***

FOR MORE CHECK US OUT:

On Twitter @hoeglaw

At our website: https://hoeglaw.com/

On our Blog, "Rules of the Game", at https://hoeglaw.wordpress.com/

On "Help Us Out Hoeg!" a regular segment on the Easy Allies Podcast (formerly GameTrailers)

(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZrxXp1reP8E353rZsB3jaA)

Biweekly on "Inside the Huddle with Michael Spath" on WTKA 1050